Overview
- Eustat data show manufacturing’s share of Basque GDP has fallen from 32% in 2000 to 23% today as services have risen to about 70%, led by health, education and tourism.
- Official employment counts indicate industry has 34,268 fewer jobs since 2009, a 16.3% decline, while hospitality and education have grown.
- Industrial production has dropped for two consecutive years, the external sector no longer contributes positively, and collective redundancies in factories are increasingly common.
- Academics and business groups highlight growing competition from China—especially in electric vehicles and batteries—as a key risk for the region’s automotive-focused exporters.
- Debate over the weight of industry-linked services persists, with Adegi estimating roughly 50% of GDP and the Basque Government putting it at 38.1%, and many such activities face offshoring risk.